Global peace operations continued to grow in overall levels of deployment in 2010, counter to expectations that significant operational, political, and financial pressure would lead to downsizing, according to a new report by the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at NYU.

Peacekeeping Growth Continues, UN Deployments Slow, NYU’s Center on International Cooperation Study Finds
Global peace operations continued to grow in overall levels of deployment in 2010, counter to expectations that significant operational, political, and financial pressure would lead to downsizing, according to the Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2011, a new report by the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at NYU.

Global peace operations continued to grow in overall levels of deployment in 2010, counter to expectations that significant operational, political, and financial pressure would lead to downsizing, according to a new report by the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University.

The findings appear in CIC’s Annual Review of Global Peace Operations 2011.

While much of the growth in global peacekeeping can be attributed to the United States’ reinforcement of NATO’s operation in Afghanistan, both UN and African Union (AU) peacekeeping deployments also increased, the study found. Significant year-end deployments of additional forces to Sudan, Côte d’Ivoire, and Somalia reflected continuing demand for UN and regional peacekeeping arrangements.

Yet, while overall growth continued, the rate of UN increase slowed significantly due to phased drawdown in stable environments, as well as diminishing and, in some cases, denial of national consent for operations resulting in mission closure or downsizing. These pressures, combined with the international community’s unwillingness to mandate new operations amid fiscal constraints, the report concluded, mean that the era of large-scale growth in global peace operations may be coming to a close.

Amid continuing demand in a time of growing political and financial constraints, the Review plays an important role in discussions about the future of global peacekeeping operations. Unique in its breadth of coverage, the Review provides the most comprehensive resource available for analysis and detailed data on peacekeeping trends and missions launched by the UN, NATO, EU, AU, and ad hoc arrangements.

Complimentary copies of the Review are available to the media. Please direct all inquiries to: Michele Shapiro: 212.998.3688 or 917.658.6760, e-mail michele.cic@nyu.edu.

Notes to editors:

    • The Annual Review of Peace Operations 2011 is the sixth in a series launched in 2006.  Previous editions have been covered by the BBC, The Economist, El Pais, Financial Times, Guardian, International Herald Tribune and many others.
    • The Review is published by the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at New York University (www.cic.nyu.edu) and is made possible with financial support from the Government of Germany, the Government of Norway, and the Compton Foundation. However, all opinions expressed in the report are those of CIC alone.
    • CIC staff are available to comment on the report: Please contact Michele Shapiro with any press inquiries.

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